According to Amnesty, the Kaduna police command have declared the organisation’s radio presenter Zainab Salihu Yabagi wanted over a video explainer on Mr. Ibrahim Masari, a Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It said that on September 11, 2026, a heavily armed police contingent invaded the Kaduna studios of the media organisation and forcefully gained access to the premises, first on the pretext of looking for Zainab Yabagi in connection with a “stolen phone.”
"During the raid, the General Manager, Charles Abah, and security personnel were arrested and later detained for over seven hours.
"It was only days later that police stated that journalist Zainab Yabagi is being hunted over bizarre allegations of criminal conspiracy, defamation, and cyberstalking and bullying in connection with Mr. Ibrahim Masari.
"Declaring a journalist wanted for just doing her job is part of the alarming pattern of shrinking civic space in Nigeria, where journalists, activists, and human rights defenders increasingly face arbitrary arrest, intimidation, harassment and prosecution and other reprisals for peacefully doing their job," Amnesty said.
The human rights organisation urged the Nigerian police to always uphold the due process of law and not become a tool in the hands of politicians by carrying out arbitrary arrests, detention, and other undue restrictions of media freedom and freedom of expression.
"President Bola Tinubu’s government must end this disturbing pattern of attacks on the media and arbitrary arrests aimed at intimidating journalists. Journalists and the media must be independent to carry out their work freely, safely and without fear of reprisals," Amnesty said.
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